Tuesday, 24 August 2010

What film inspired your teaching?

Why Tampopo makes me a better teacher.

For those who don't know, Tampopo is a Japanese film about a single mother who runs a Noodle bar and has to overcome many trials and tribulations to become the best bar in town. I think of it as a cross between the Food and Drink Show and Monty Python, with a hint of Western and 'The A Team' thrown in. Although I am sure that there are many better ways of describing it.

Anyway, here's why it makes me a better teacher: 1. It links between food and transcendant experiences with ease - I think being able to rapidly ascend and descend Maslow's heirarchy is a key to engaging children in education. 2. Not only do the bullies lose, but they make friends with the lonely child. That's hope on a stick. 3. It demonstrates you can learn things from unlikely people. 4. The experts in it are young, old, male, female, rich and poor - the heart of the unconference. 5. It shows that the links between people are as important as the actual knowledge they hold.